Director Rian Johnson’s ex-agent sues over ‘Star Wars’ work

Originally published March 18, 2016 at 5:40 pm
Updated March 18, 2016 at 6:14 pm

FILE – In this Sept. 6, 2012 file photo, writer-director Rian Johnson speaks about his movie “Looper” during a news conference at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto. A former agent for the director of the next “Star Wars” film is suing claiming he was cut out of negotiations regarding the blockbuster franchise. Agent Brian Dreyfuss sued Johnson in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday March 18, 2016, seeking 10 percent of the director’s “Star Wars” earnings. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim, File)

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The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former agent for the director of the next “Star Wars” film claims in a lawsuit filed Friday that he was cut out of negotiations regarding the blockbuster franchise.

Dreyfuss’ lawsuit states he helped arrange a meeting between Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Johnson in 2012 but that the director told him he wasn’t interested in pursuing the company’s projects. His suit states he was fired in March 2014, about a year before Johnson confirmed he would direct the eighth film in the “Star Wars” franchise.

Production on the film, which is due to be released in December 2017, began last month.

Dreyfuss began working with Johnson around 2002 and helped him develop his first film, “Brick,” the lawsuit states. The agent also encouraged Johnson to direct several episodes of the hit television series “Breaking Bad” and the 2012 film “Looper,” which starred Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

A call to Johnson’s publicist was not immediately returned.

Dreyfuss’ lawsuit does not state how much he is seeking, but it states he is entitled to Johnson’s earnings from other projects, including “Looper.”